Ammonium-nitrate explosive



Patented Feb. 12, 1924.

nor LINDEN-HILL, or TAMAQUA,

PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNoa T ATLAS POWDER COM- sures P AN Y, GF WILMINGTO N, DELAWARE, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ammonium-unease 'nxrroslvn' No Drawing.

To all uikom it may] concern: Be it known that Roy LINDEN Hum, citizen of the United States, residing at Tamaqua, in the county of Schuylkill and State of IO GXPlOSlYQS-Of "arying strengths and properties-particularly adapted for use in commercial blasting work, but well suited tor use in other relations.

For many years ammonium nitrate has been a constituent of variedtypes of coiniinerciala'nd military explosives. It has been substituted for part of the nitroglycerine of so-called straight d namites and ammonia gelatin dynamites o commerce. The prime object of this substitution has been cost reduction, other accomplishments being somewhat greater safety in handling and somewhat less ease ,of ignition. llowever, they,

contain eightper cent or more of nitroglycerine .or equivalent in order that their properties may not'diller too greatly fron'i the equivalentstraight grades. They may,

therefore, cause severe headaches to 'those handling them in the course of manufacture and use. They may also become hard, insensitive and dangerous to handle through crystallization of the nitroglycerine under the influence of cold, the so-called frozen dynamite efi'ect. Various more or less efficient means have been used to increase their [men ing resistance, .such .as the use of unrated carbohydrates, tetranitrodiglyceriuc and 'nitro-aromatic compounds in conjunction with nitroglycerine, but they will all become hard due to a crystallization of nltroglycorine under certain existingchmatic conditions. Further, ammonium nitrate is a prime ingredientin many of the permissible (for use-in coal mines) explosives. In one type it is used in connection with five per v cent or more nitroglycerine together with relatively small amounts, on occasion, of 'such materials as sodium chloride, ammonium chloride, sodium nitrate, wood pulp, materials added to depress the freezing point of nitroglycerine, etc. These explosives pos sess the disadvantages enumerated under ammonia dynamites. In another type, whichis notnecessarily confined to permissible explosives, it is used in connection with Application-filed March 21, 1923. Serial No 826,590.

sensitizers, such as non-explosive carbonaceous matter, nitro-aromat1c compounds, or powdered metals, usually with the addition of some material to reduce the temperature of detonation or length of flame, if the explosive is to be'pernnssible. This type has been very unsatisfactory in application because of insensitiveness and frequent failure to detonate or at least propagate detonation. b'ensitiveness might be increased through the intro notion of large amounts of nitroaromatic compounds, but the result is excessive cost and quantities of poisonous gases in the products of detonation. A

modification of this type to improve sensiti\'eness and eliminate excessive amounts,of

poisonous gases in the products of detonation has consisted in using a small amount of intro-aromatic compounds, 17% or less, and introducing a small percentage of nitro-' glycerme as sensitizer. Thus there 1s a veryv limited sensitizing" effect due to the nitroaromatic and considerable amounts of nitroglycerine must be used" to insure a satisfactory condition of sensitiveness, with resultan't disadvantages on this account.

Annnonium nitrate is also used in con junction with nitro-starch as a commercial and militaryexplosive and in conjunction with T. N. T., as a shell bursting charge for military urposes. Many other combinations might be proposed or may have been used to a limited extentfor special purposes. I

By extensive thought and experimentalion 1 have been able to devise a series of annnonium nitrate explosives which nearly or entirely eliminate the. objections to prerious types. Il obtain PPO'IIOIHyIH manufaelure and ingredients, a satisfactory degree of propagation scnsitivcness, a wide range in strength, a good condition asregards poisonous gases'on detonation in the accepted sense, freedom from headaches in handling, except. slight, hardly noticeable ones to a few most susceptible persons, and freedom from becoming hard and insensitive through crystallization of nitroglycerine' under any climatic conditions met in practice. l have developed by actual test with many persons that, in the case of explosives of nitroglycerine content below tenper cent,

susceptibility to nitroglycerine' headaches content i; three amt Oi1-litll per sent; in-

(E-OHVPEIMZH 'l one at those pct-sons and that 'o-hali'pcr ccnt was the Inaxr 1 four and or mum atv whirl most persons Notiltl tool no lDCORYQUlQDCtP. l have .1 urthcr been unable under any comlitions of cold met in practice to mus-:-v niy oxpliie'vcs to become hard throu crystallization of nitroglycorinm z; opt in the '2 to of a spacial adaptation tor wa in weather usm to he nototl later.

My .plosivos arc. made on the hasis that l 1 w v strcngih is 't'il'l0t, cssomially n \arying the amount of arm) 711M111] nitrato, that nitrownirli at least 50% is triniaromatics oi troixilucncaro tlSttl in an amountv 'sutlicicnt to routrihntc approciahlu scusitivonvss yet; not in amount sutlicicnt to provcnt a satis factory condition as ro arils poisonous gases on iltttllitlillOiL that one and one-half to onehai pcr aunt liquitl or 'auio to radar-a the tlustincss and scnsirizcr an l that a nonganic nitrate usctt as a ti o provide. oxygon as (losirctl. (i inowu fin grralio ts ot a hon-e32 p coinhustihlo nat'uro may he used asurn l lxamplcs might he mont' lphur, tlour amt round \VUOt'l.

i consist: of

my Qixplos 'wo per cantv (t-32%) which at toast 50(24? is and one-halt to tour rcnt (i-F l) liquid organic nitrate or liquid mixturi I ammonium nitratc-v quantity to vo the (lcsircil stci'i gth anal non-oxplosi ll'itllgfltlllfi nit'ratcs. in sutlioiontl quant v to act as tiller or to furnish A rial, amount ot oxygen. iltttldclltul unonium nit 39.4";- 3'21) l7f lnixtnro of nuroglyc antl totranitzrotliglyccrino- 3 3 3.5 nitrate 24 4-0 7 ti." 0.5 0.5

1) E24 Q- t i Q onro-aronmtics are cxplos'rc ingrctliouts and. cons (ttttlitli cxurt a sensitizing vtl'cct as it possible to uso a vcrv limited in t liquid organic nitrato scnsitlizcr 1t ohtain a practical degree of sensinass. 'ilm fact. that i (to use a snaill.

ntiall v altrr tho proponamount of liquid organic nitrate renders it unnccossary to use oxcesivc amounts ot the unta'ononiiual (strength for cost) and highly oxygen tloticicntz nitro-aroniatics. Ammonium nitrate, which is an ccononiical strcngth producer aral contains an excess of ox gcn, tits into this.combination as a simple. convcnicnt amt cconomial moans of. producing a wide varicty ot' oxplosivo strcngths. Sodium nitrate is a relatively clicap tillcr ainl produccr of oxygcn on (10- tonation of tho oxplosivcs.

While, as liquid organic nitratc, I have shown in thc cxamplcs a mixture of uitro-.

glyccrinc lllltl 'totranitro'liglyrcrinc. 1 may also use nitroglycerinc (glycerin trinitrate) onl whcrc rcsistanco to coltl is not an ohjecti or \vlicro (,Oltl rcsistanco is tlesirotl, I may use mixtures of glycerin triuitrato with othcr organic nitrates which tlop ress its soliili ving point; and which forms a liquitl mixture with it, such as tho glycol tiinitratics, chlorhydrin tlinitratos, and nitratettcarbohydrates, or I may uso liquid organic nitrates, exclusive of glyrcrin trinitratu.

I am nioniuni as'l can and of the, literature and by cxamination of many explosives compositions which are hoing protlucwl, l liclicvc that i am the first; to pre 'iaro the peculiar combination of ingrctliontjs heroin sctfilorth which so largely ott'sets iii-any ot tho ilisznhantagas ol pravious types 01" ammonium nit-alts explosives. My inve i g ations intlicatc that l have conr hinml til a good points of several previous typcs with the elimination of most ot-the had points the result heiug a nt-w g ouoral type at great tlexihility :itltl prartical a(lvantagc.

Having (lcscrilaal my invcntion what; I claim is:

1. An ammonium nitrato oxplosivocontaining '17 to 32% nitrmiromatics 0t which at lcast not; is trinitrotolucnc. a non-ox plosivo inorganic nitrate. aml a liquid organic nitrate.

2. in ammonium nilratc. cxplosivu containing 17 to 32$? olnitroaromatics of whirh at least; is trinitrotolucnc, sodium nitrate and a liquid organic nitratc.

3. An ammonium nitrate oxplosiro containing 17 to 32([4 nitroaroniatics of which. at lcast 50% is trinitrotolucnc, a. non-oxplosiro inorganic nitrate amt it to ill]. of liqnitl organic nitratc. i

[in ammonium nitratc explosive containing; 17 to 32% nit'roaromatics of which at least. 50% is trinitrotolucno soilium nitrato antl ll to 4;); ol liqnitl organio nitratv.

5. fan ammonium nitrato cxplosirc containing: 17 to 32% uitroaroniatics ot' which aware, of the BXlIOlltlQtl use oil anr nitrate in explosives. but in. so tar ascertain luv consultation of intents v ,tllltl desired oxygen conditions are obtained.

.least 50% is trinitmtoluene and 1% to 1 ,ess .087 Q at least 50% is trinitrotoluene, sodium nitrate and 1% to 3% of a mixture of glycerine trinitrute and diglyeerine tetranitrzue.

6. Ammonium nitrate explosives contaiir ing 17 to 32% nitrouromatics of which at. least 50% is trinitrotoluene and 1,4; to of liquid organic nitrate, with ammonium nitrate and non-explosive inorganic nitrates in. 'such proportions that various strengths liquid mixture of organic nitrates. sodium nitrate. and non-explosive" combustible niaterial.

D. Ammonium nitrate explosives containing 17 to 32/ trinitrotoluene, 1-1- to em of liquid organic nitrate, sodium nitruteand non-explosive combustible nmthrml.

In testimony whereof he ufiilxes his sig- 3 7. Ammonium nitrate explosives containnature in the presence of two witnesses. ing 17 to 321 nilrouromulics of which at ROY LINDEN vlllLL. Witnesses MABBL R. HlLL, Russ-mm M. Coon.

of liquid organic nitrate, with ammonium nitrate and sodium nitrate.

8. Ammonium nitrate explosives contaming 17 to 32% nitrouromntics of whic-h at least 501.; IS trinitrotoluene, 5 to $4370 0t 

